Not quite cinema verite of old, but with the obligatory shakiness of a hand-held camera, Rachel Getting Married feels as though the film’s director (Jonathan Demme of Silence of the Lambs, Beloved, Philadelphia) was provided unfiltered access to capture the intimate conversations, tragedies and joys of a dysfunctional family brought together to celebrate Rachel’s big day. What makes this film so visceral in its immediacy and kinetic energy is in large part due to how the film was shot and the way in which many of the scenes feel as though they were improvised or at the very least, minimally scripted and choreographed to allow the actors freedom to embody the naturalism of the moment. Though I would have preferred another actress as the rehab-prone enfant terrible (sorry Anne Hathaway fans), Rachel Getting Married’s strength as a film comes from the strong ensemble cast who did well to transform a rather stale plotline into a well-mannered and passable drama.

Movie

Rachel Getting Married

COL28334D

Not quite cinema verite of old, but with the obligatory shakiness of a hand-held camera, Rachel Getting Married feels as though the film’s director (Jonathan Demme of Silence of the Lambs, Beloved, Philadelphia) was provided unfiltered access to capture the intimate conversations, tragedies and joys of a dysfunctional family brought together to celebrate Rachel’s big day. What makes this film so visceral in its immediacy and kinetic energy is in large part due to how the film was shot and the way in which many of the scenes feel as though they were improvised or at the very least, minimally scripted and choreographed to allow the actors freedom to embody the naturalism of the moment. Though I would have preferred another actress as the rehab-prone enfant terrible (sorry Anne Hathaway fans), Rachel Getting Married’s strength as a film comes from the strong ensemble cast who did well to transform a rather stale plotline into a well-mannered and passable drama.